Bolognese Sauce with Beef Pork and Bacon

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Ingredients:

4 strips meaty bacon
8 oz cremini mushrooms, cut into large chunks
1 t olive oil, optional
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 lb ground lean beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 (28 oz can whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, shoulders removed
1 rounded t dried thyme
1/4 t dried Mediterranean oregano
1/4 t dried garlic
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of salt (you may add when you taste but you can’t take it out!)
1/4 cup milk
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Spicy Ropa Vieja

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Ingredients:

1 T olive oil, preferably a fruity oil
1/2 of one large sweet onion, sliced into 3 inch lengths about 1/2 inch thick
1 green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and sliced as you did the onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped or smashed
1 1/2 T tomato paste
3/4 t cumin
3/4 t Mexican oregano (please do not use Mediterranean oregano)
Ground black pepper, at least 1/4 teaspoon
1 good splash of white wine
1 T soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1 large whole jalapeno, rinsed and dried
1 lb flank steak cut across the grain into four pieces
Several red jalapenos, left whole, rinsed and dried
1/2 t white vinegar Read More

Calabrian Style Beef Vegetable Soup

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Ingredients:

Nutrition analysis for 8 servings

1 T olive oil
1 lb lean minced or diced beef steak
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
1 Calabrian hot chile, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2 1/4 cups beef stock
1 (15 oz) can Italian tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 t ground garlic
3/4 t dried basil
1/2 t dried Mediterranean oregano
1/4 t dried rosemary
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 medium red potatoes, cleaned, left unpeeled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup cut green beans, fresh or frozen
1 T minced fresh parsley Read More

Pot Roast for a Small Family

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Ingredients:

1 (small 1 1/2 lb) chuck roast
2 T all-purpose flour
Fresh ground black pepper to cover the roast
a little bit of salt to accompany the pepper
1 1/2 T vegetable oil (or your favorite high heat oil)
1 small sweet onion, cut into large pieces
3 slender carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1 1/2” lengths
1 stalk celery, include some leaves, and cut into large diagonal pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, deseeded and cut into large pieces
3 garlic cloves
1 cup beef stock
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Optional: 2 sprigs fresh thyme Read More

Standing Rib Roast coal grilled method

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Ingredients:

1 bone-in rib roast
1/4 cup or more of one recipe of Tony’s Meat Rub

Spoon Mage™ Note:

I did not specify the number of ribs or which end to get, the larger or small. Why? Because it all depends upon how many people are eating or which type of meat you prefer.

A standing rib roast has seven ribs from small end to large. Each rib will serve two healthy appetites or three light eaters. A three rib roast is good for anywhere from 6-9 people. Read More

The Three Meals of Christmas

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The tree will be fresh cut, the decorations will be nature or music inspired, the wreath my Grandma made will be hung, the nutcrackers shall increase in number, and books and music will rule the gifts.

While I schedule like a pro, I am not big on planning too far ahead for meals. It’s more fun to think about what I want to eat that day and make it! But, as stores are closed or have limited hours, holidays are a different story. And so, I plan, chat with my favorite butcher at the meat market, and shop accordingly.

Fortunately, it’s really quite easy to create a list of meals for our family’s traditional Three Meals of Christmas. Tradition is the buzz word in that sentence. I am allowed a certain amount of experimentation, but the food tradition basics, just like the decorative elements, must remain the same. I’ve come to terms with this and gradually tweaked the menu to make me happy to repeat it.

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Meatloaf with Saltines

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meatloaf Lindas

meatloaf in 9×5 inch pans

Ingredients:

1 T butter
1 large sweet onion, minced
1 large green bell pepper, minced
2 lbs ground chuck
1 lb ground pork
3/4 cup ketchup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 t ground black pepper
20 smashed Saltine crackers

Topping:

3/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 t dried mustard Read More

Recipe of the Week: Almost Swedish Meatballs

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almost-swedish-meatballsMy Grandma B came to the United States from Sweden when she was about 15 years old. The meals she cooked were an interesting mix of New and Old Country. Unfortunately, her recipes live on only in my culinary memory. I hope these meatballs would have made her proud.

Ingredients:

2 slices soft whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
scant 2/3 cup 2% milk
1- 1 1/3 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 1/2 T onion, finely minced
1/4 t mace
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t allspice
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 can condensed cream of celery soup, or one recipe cream of celery soup
1 cup white wine, divided use
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
2 T chopped fresh parsley
12 oz uncooked medium wide egg noodles

For the directions, click here.

Mama’s Italian Beef Stew

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mamas beef stew bowlIngredients:

3 lbs chuck roast or thick sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large or 6 small carrots, peeled and sliced into large pieces
2-3 large white or gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks
1 (28 oz) can peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes well crushed by hand, removing any “shoulders” OR 5-6 (2 pounds) ripe peeled and crushed tomatoes
2 stalks celery make sure one has leaves, cut into large pieces
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 t ground basil
1 t Mediterranean oregano
1/2 t ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 T olive oil

Optional: hot red pepper flakes Read More